Papallacta Hot Springs (Termas de Papallacta) served as "base camp" for our 2006 Mountain Connectivity Conservation Management workshop in the Ecuadorean Andes. This beautiful area is located 40 miles (65 km) east of Quito at an elevation of 10,800 feet (3,220 m) on the ancient "Cinnamon Trail", linking the Amazon and coastal regions for centuries.

This is the same route that Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana took in 1542 when he crossed the Andes in search of gold and discovered the Amazon River. It winds across the forest, grasslands, rivers and cascades of the Canyon Ranch, one of the main entrances to today's Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve. This important mountain protected area provides crucial habitat for the region's condors, pumas, hummingbirds and the endangered "spectacled bears".